A writer having his life threatened by his own story. A hardened killer with an intense emotional connection to a cute, furry animal. A lot of people getting shot in the head.
If you find these things in the same story, you're probably enjoying something by Irish playwright-turned-screenwriter Martin McDonagh, who uses these plot devices often as a way to explore revenge, forgiveness, and humanity. Seven Psychopaths is the second feature film he's written and directed, a hilarious, bloody, and surprisingly thoughtful movie. Taco Bell, on the other hand, is an American chain of fast food restaurants with a Tex-Mex culinary concept.
Seven Psychopaths and Taco Bell are both based in Southern California, although the film has a much more interesting story. A drunk screenwriter (Colin Farrell) attempts to overcome his writer's block on his new screenplay, titled "Seven Psychopaths". He's equally distracted and inspired by his best friend (Sam Rockwell), who makes money by stealing rich people's dogs with his partner in petty crime (Christopher Walken). Things take a turn for the worse when they steal a charismatic Shih Tzu that belongs to a violent mob boss (Woody Harrelson), much like Taco Bell took a turn for the worse when they started using a talking Chihuahua for publicity. As you might expect, the lines between the screenplay and the movie itself get real blurry, with a lot of tongue-in-cheek commentary on action films. Wait a second, is that Tom Waits holding a rabbit on the poster?
The film succeeds in achieving comedy through the tension of imminent violence, and this makes for a very enjoyable experience. While the movie is filled to the brim with blood and murder, it somehow manages to be really quite charming. The characters are all so human and quirky, so unashamed about their vulnerabilities, we have no choice but to love them. Imagine a Quentin Tarantino flick with the warmth and humor of a Wes Anderson film. McDonagh is more than willing to stop the plot in order to delve into a character's thoughts and dreams or build an unexpected camaraderie, making the people in the story so much more important than the story itself.
The only time I've really enjoyed a performance by Colin Farrell was in McDonagh's other film, In Bruges. (Well, maybe his trashy cokehead in Horrible Bosses...) Farrell fits the bill perfectly here again, pulling off the brash Irish vernacular of McDonagh's writing effortlessly. My black bean burrito, a new addition to the menu, was squishy and slightly damp, but full of flavor. Walken is comfortable and debonair as always, but we get to see a new side of him as he matches Rockwell's casual and childlike demeanor. This time around, I asked for my XXL Grilled Stuft Burrito with no guacamole and found it to be a huge improvement. Woody Harrelson, as usual, delivers a solid and unremarkable performance. Tom Waits holding a rabbit is every bit as wonderful as you might expect.
The weakest part of this film, and maybe every McDonagh story, is actually commented on in the movie itself: he doesn't know how to write women, or maybe he just doesn't like writing women. Walken's character points this out to Farrell's screenwriter (whose name is Martin, transparently), accusing him of killing all the women off before they ever say anything for themselves. "It's a tough world for women," Farrell says, to which Walken responds, "Sure, it's a tough world for women, but the women I know can at least string two sentences together." True to his own criticism, the female characters in this story have nearly nothing to do with the story at all, and those ladies up there on the poster are just there for sex appeal. Each of them has less than ten lines, and they're both nearly naked at some point in the film. The Shih Tzu gets more screen time than those two put together.
Taco Bell is cheap, filling, and consistent, always delivering the same quality of food and slightly nauseous feeling afterward no matter which location you visit. Seven Psychopaths is fun, fast-paced, and way smarter than any other movie you can find with a similar number of bullet wounds to the head. It makes light-hearted fun of the conventions of action films throughout the script, but the deepest question it asks is why everything always has to end in a shoot-out. Wouldn't it be nice, McDonagh asks through his onscreen Martin, if everyone could just walk away with their lives and talk things over?
And then the movie ends with a shoot-out. Way to think outside the bun, McDonagh.
